• Donkter@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Contrary to popular opinion, Marx was not against branding or mass production. The only thing Marx could be against for something like this is the implication that it’s made via exploitation. Which, I think any product these days even something from “communist” China is clearly unable to avoid that.

      Marx didn’t even mind some forms of trade and commerce. Especially for luxury goods like cigarettes. He thought the practice would die naturally as we normalized communism but would probably not have balked at something like this.

        • naevaTheRat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          2 days ago

          Would you prefer private companies be doing it? The government is trying to reduce smoking and prices are low enough not to trap addicted people in poverty.

          It’s not like Phillip Morris does better.

          Drug production is such an obvious thing that should be nationalised to remove the profit incentive and introduce a degree of accountability and collective control.

        • Gold_E_Lox@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          2 days ago

          i guess anywhere with legal cigarettes have a level of state sponsored cancer, having it as a nationalised industry would probably aid in keeping things somewhat clean.

        • Karn, Liberated@slrpnk.net
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          2 days ago

          True socialists smoke a pack of Marxloros, the workers choice of cancer!

          At least China has cheaper/free healthcare.